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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 06/15/2021 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 081, 2021, AMENDING Agenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY June 15, 2021 City Council STAFF Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk Carrie Daggett, City Attorney SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 081, 2021, Amending Section 2-34 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins to Designate the City’s Website as the Proper Place for Posting of City Council Meeting Notices and Agendas. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to amend City Code to designate the proper place for the posting of all public notices and agenda materials related to Council meetings and committees as the City’s website at fcgov.com. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Section 2-34 of the City Code currently provides for posting of notices of the agenda for regular Council meetings, and notice and agendas for special meetings of the Council or meetings of Council committees, through physical posting of a notice near the south entrance of City Hall at 300 LaPorte Avenue. While no data has been collected, the posting of notices at City Hall does not appear to provide an accessible or commonly used means of notifying the public of meetings or agendas. With increased transparency and access provided through posting of information on the City’s website, staff recommends that such agenda information and meeting notices should be posted on the City’s website as the official place of posting, in place of the physical posting of notices at City Hall. This Ordinance amends Section 2-34 to provide that all meeting notices and agenda materials for Council meetings be posted on the City’s website, and that such notices will be provided in a searchable format to the extent feasible. In addition, the proposed amended Code language provides that the physical posting location is the designated alternative place of posting in the event exigent circumstances preclude posting of information on the City’s website (such as, for example, a power or website outage). CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS This change is not expected to have other than de minimis financial impacts. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 081, 2021 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AMENDING SECTION 2-34 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS TO DESIGNATE THE CITY’S WEBSITE AS THE PROPER PLACE FOR POSTING OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOTICES AND AGENDAS WHEREAS, posting of notices of the agenda for regular City Council meetings, and notice and agendas for special meetings of the Council or meetings of Council committees, has traditionally been accomplished through physical posting of a notice near the south entrance of City Hall at 300 LaPorte Avenue; and WHEREAS, the place of such postings is designated in Section 2-34 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins; and WHEREAS, in light of the increased transparency and access provided through posting of information on the City’s website, the Council has determined such agenda information and meeting notices should be posted on the City’s website as the official place of posting, in place of the physical posting of notices at City Hall; and WHEREAS, accordingly, this Ordinance amends Section 2-34 to provide that such postings shall be done on the City’s website. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That Section 2-34 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby amended to read as follows: Sec. 2-34. - Place of posting. The public meetings page on the City’s website at http :/fcgov.com vestibule at the south entrance of City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Avenue , is designated as the proper place for the posting of public notice of: (1) Any agenda items for regular City Council meetings that were not included in the published as agendas for such meetings ; (2) Special meetings of the City Council and agenda information for such meetings when available; and (3) Meetings of City Council committees for which public notice is required to be given pursuant to Subsection 2 -32(c), and agenda information for such meetings when available. When possible, all such notices should also be posted on the City's website. -2- To the extent feasible, such notices shall be searchable by type of meeting, date of meeting, time of meeting, agenda contents. A copy of any such notice will also be available on request from the City Clerk’s Office. In the event of exigent or emergency circumstances prevent the posting of notices as provided above, the alternative place of posting shall be the vestibule at the south entrance of City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Avenue. Section 3. That the City Clerk shall provide notice of the website address for posting of notices as set forth in this Ordinance to the Colorado Department of Public Affairs, pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes Section 24-6-402(2)(c)(III). Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 15th day of June, A.D. 2021, and to be presented for final passage on the 6th day of July, A.D. 2021. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on this 6th day of July, A.D. 2021. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk